Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw addressed industry concerns raised during SEMICON India 2026, promising immediate government action. Speaking to reporters on the second day of the event, Vaishnaw said the country roundtables had generated encouraging feedback but also identified certain challenges requiring attention. "We have received very good feedback from the country roundtables as well. They have also raised some issues, and we will work on them immediately," Vaishnaw stated. The minister specifically highlighted customs procedures, transportation and regulatory clearances as key areas where the government would engage with industry stakeholders to address operational challenges. "There are some issues related to customs and transportation. There are also some issues related to permissions. We will work closely with the industry on all these matters," he added, as reported by Mint.
Several key companies have finalized significant business commitments during SEMICON India 2026, with Ashwini Vaishnaw confirming that a number of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and purchase orders had been finalized and presented on Friday. The event has attracted significant participation from companies worldwide, with the minister specifically pointing to around 30 companies in each country pavilion of Japan and Singapore as examples of strong international presence. Tata Group companies such as Tata Technologies, Tata Elxsi, and Tejas Networks are involved in both chip fabrication and assembly and testing operations, while CG Power and Kaynes Technology are scaling up outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing (OSAT) facilities. ASM Technologies and MosChip Technologies have exposure to semiconductor engineering, design and related services. According to TradingView News, leading companies participating include Lam Research (announcing ₹10,000 crore investment for its first silicon component manufacturing facility in India), SG Semi, Kaynes Semicon, NXP Semiconductor, Applied Materials, Tata Electronics, NXP Semiconductors, Dixon Technologies, Delta Electronics, Micron Technology, AMD India, IBM India, Fujifilm India, and Suchi Semicon.
SEMICON India 2026 recorded more than 51,000 registrations and around 40,000 visitors, with over 600 exhibitors including participation from around 300 international companies. The event is expected to attract around 50,000 visitors, with representatives from 52 countries, more than 400 executives and over 150 speakers. The event will showcase six 'Country Pavilions' representing Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore and Sweden, along with 12 State booths, a Startup Pavilion, Innovation Showcase, Student Hackathon and Workforce Development Pavilion. According to Mint, Vaishnaw highlighted the strong international presence, noting that "if you visit the various country pavilions, you will see very large contingents from countries such as Japan and Singapore. There are around 30 companies in each country pavilion." The country roundtables provide a platform for international semiconductor companies, government officials and other stakeholders to discuss cooperation and opportunities across manufacturing, supply chains, investment, technology and talent development.
The government has announced the Semicon 2.0 scheme with an incentive of around ₹1.27 trillion or $13.5 billion to build the semiconductor ecosystem. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said investment proposals worth $12 billion are likely to come under the new scheme for chip production. Semiconductor gear maker Applied Materials committed an investment of $5 billion, about ₹48,000 crore, over the next 10 years at the event, a day after signing a pact with the Karnataka government to invest ₹3,600 crore in research and development and production of equipment that are used for manufacturing chips. Lam Research announced an investment of ₹10,000 crore to set up a silicon component manufacturing facility in India. Around 56 memorandums of understanding were signed at the event, with Tata Electronics signing 16 agreements with vendors to support its ₹1.18 trillion investment to set up a chip manufacturing unit in Dholera, Gujarat and a chip assembly and test unit in Assam. The company announced the building of a 363-acre park in Dholera to house about 450 vendors that its plant will need.
SEMICON India 2026 is being held from September 17 to 19 at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi under the theme "Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem." The event brings together semiconductor and electronics companies, policymakers, investors, researchers, startups, academic institutions and students from across the industry value chain. Vaishnaw highlighted the significant student participation at the event, noting that students had displayed considerable enthusiasm and curiosity about career and learning opportunities in the semiconductor industry. He specifically referred to a 240-hour Level One semiconductor course proposed and implemented by an industry participant for high-school students, stating that "Once a student takes that 240-hour course, a high school student can actually start working in the semiconductor industry." This initiative aims to expose younger students to semiconductor technologies and help develop a talent pipeline for the sector. The event provides a platform for industry and government stakeholders to discuss the development of India's semiconductor ecosystem and address operational challenges emerging as the sector expands.
